Following a design competition Pascall+Watson architects were appointed to design the new Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) Teaching and Research Facilities, which explores the impact of global warming on our food supply. To undertake such diverse and broad exploration the Institute is located in two areas; one at the main teaching Penglais campus and another rural research hub at the Gogerddan campus. The nature of the research at the Gogerddan Facility includes CL3 clean room facilities, controlled glass house environments, micro biology laboratories, seed production and banking, and large scale agricultural research. The design incorporates a new Phenomics Green House, environmentally controlled laboratories, physical connections to the existing laboratories, a flexibility of plan, a new contemporary architectural expression to the estate and finally a statutory requirement to design a low carbon BREEAM ‘Excellent’ building. It is the aspiration of the University to globally lead in this field of research and as a result the design acts as a beacon to attract both commercial and government funding streams, accommodating the best scholars, students and researchers. The project has been shortlisted for the BD Architect of the Year Environmental Excellence Award 2012.